We are delighted to have teamed up with TOHETI at Guy’s Hospital for their next fibroids support group session. This will take place on Monday 15th May from 6:00pm – 7:30pm at the McNair Centre at Guy’s.
Anyone who has been affected by fibroids is welcome to attend and this session aims to provide women with the opportunity to share their experience, meet other women with fibroids, obtain support and hear from experts in the field.
TOHETI’s support group provides a safe, informal setting for women to ask questions and share concerns, both before and after surgery. The group is run by patients, for patients and a clinical member of staff will be present to help answer questions.
We are delighted to announce our next fibroids Twitter chat will be on Wednesday 15th February 2017 from 7pm-8pm. We will be joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids, Candice Bryan, CEO and Founder of Noire Wellness and Leah Salmon, Founder of the Naturally You Coach with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.
This Twitter chat has been organised to allow for an in-depth discussion on fibroids, diet and exericse.
We’ll be putting questions to our expert panel and you can put your questions to them too. So if you have a burning question about fibroids or just want to get involved in the discussion then do join us on the day. To take part in the conversation please use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament of Westminster. They have launched an inquiry into whether women are given an informed choice about the treatment options available for particular conditions. Fibroids and endometriosis are among the conditions the group would like to shine a spotlight on.
The group will produce a report which will assess if women are given an informed choice about treatment options and outline what improvements need to be made.
As part of this inquiry the group is inviting interested parties to submit written evidence. Evidence can be submitted via the following links (endometriosis)(fibroids) or emailed directly to appgwh@mailpbconsulting.com using the pro forma below. Patient experience, anecdotal evidence as well as any sort of data would be gratefully received.
The group would like to hear about current practice as well as potential barriers and issues in order to understand what key recommendations the group can take forward. The group will be accepting written evidence until the end of February 2017.
If you’ve been affected by fibroids we strongly encourage you to submit written evidence on your experience when you were offered treatment. This will make a significant difference and help identify any issues that exist can be identified so that these can be addressed to ensure that the diagnosis and treatment pathway for all women is improved.
If you would like any further information about the inquiry or the group’s work more generally, please contact the group secretariat at appgwh@mailpbconsulting.com or call 020 7735 6963.
We are delighted to announce our fibroids Twitter chat on Wednesday 18th January 2017 from 7pm-8pm. We will be joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids and Renee Brown Small Co-founder of The Fibroids Project with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.
This Twitter chat has been organised to allow for an in-depth discussion on fibroids, what they are, why black women are more at risk, symptoms, treatment and more.
We’ll be putting questions to our expert panel and you can put your questions to them too. So if you have a burning question about fibroids or just want to get involved in the discussion then do join us on the day. To take part in the conversation please use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.
Have you been diagnosed with fibroids? Are you considering treatment options, or have you recently received treatment for fibroids? Then the fibroids patient support group at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital may be of interest to you.
Living with fibroids and being asked to make a decision around surgical options can be emotional and difficult for both you and your loved ones. So, Transforming Outcomes and Health Economics Through Imaging (TOHETI) organise regular fibroids support sessions that provide a safe, informal setting for patients to meet other women and share their questions and concerns, both before and after surgery. All are welcome to attend, you do not need to be a patient of Guy’s and St Thomas’.
The next session will be on Monday 23rd January, 6:00 – 7:30pm at the McNair Centre, Guy’s Hospital. Refreshments will be provided.
This next session will include a presentation from Dr Irfan Ahmed, Consultant Interventional Radiologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’. Dr Ahmed will talk more about a minimally invasive procedure he performs called uterine artery embolization, and answer any questions you may have.
For more information and to book a place at this session please, email fibroids@kcl.ac.uk or just turn up on the evening!
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament of Westminster. The group aims to empower women to ensure that they can make an informed choice about the best treatment for them and that they are treated with dignity and respect.
The group has launched an inquiry into whether women are given informed choice about the treatment options available for particular conditions. They aim to publish a report that will assess their findings around informed choice and provide recommendations on the improvements that need to be made.
Fibroids is a condition that they would like to shine the spotlight on and they would like to hear from women about their experience of living with and accessing treatment for fibroids. They are asking women with experience of fibroids to complete a survey which you can find here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/fibroids-informed-choice
If you’ve been affected by fibroids we strongly encourage you to complete the survey so that any issues that exist can be identified and addressed to ensure that the diagnosis and treatment pathway for all women is improved.
If you have any questions about the survey or about the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health please email appgwh@pbpoliticalconsulting.com or call 020 7735 6963
If you would like help completing the survey, please get in touch with The Lake Foundation by emailing us
On 8th November 2016 Target Ovarian Cancer will be holding an event called Being Together in Hertfordshire. This is a free event for all women with ovarian cancer and will take place at the Jurys Inn Hotel in Watford from 10am – 4:30pm and will include lunch and refreshments.
Feedback from previous Being Together events have shown that these days are extremely beneficial in helping women feel less isolated and more knowledgeable about ovarian cancer:
“The whole day has been brilliant. The hospitality was superb and the quality of the event was excellent”
The event is an ideal opportunity for women to meet those with similar experiences and put their questions to a panel of experts. Women will also have the opportunity to take part in workshops surrounding living well, such as nutrition and relaxation. Although the event is free booking is essential.
We are delighted to announce that Noire Wellness has selected The Lake Foundation as its charity of the year. This means that over the next 12 months Noire Wellness will aim to raise £2000 for our charity. One of the ways that they will achieve this is through their Fibroids Wing Walk in June 2017!
On 17th June 2017, representatives from Noire Wellness, including their very brave founder, Candice Bryan, will take to the skies with this daring fundraiser to experience the thrill of a wing walk thousands of feet up in the air (wow!), all for a good cause.
All the money raised by Noire Wellness will go towards our work to continue to develop a fibroids awareness, information and support programme. Specifically we hope to develop an engaging, interactive, digital information hub, expand our outreach work and create a support programme for women affected by fibroids.
You can support Noire Wellness in this wonderful fundraising activity by:
Sharing their Go Fund Me page with your contacts and asking them to make a donation
Or, if you are brave enough, you could also take part in the Wing Walk! Email us for more information.
About Noire Wellness
Noire Wellness is an organisation that aims to improve the health and wellness of the African and African-Caribbean community through the offer of local wellness clubs, community consultancy services and a newly created network of professionals.
Currently Noire Wellness is running a 12-week pop-up club which started on 1st August and will run until 24th October. The pop-up club sessions are a health and fitness club, spa lounge and workshop zone all rolled into one. It features the talents of wellness professionals who have been inspired by the traditions of Africa and the Caribbean to deliver fitness, rejuvenation and nutrition services.
The next pop-up session will be on Thursday 13th October from 7pm -9pm and will start with a one hour Afrikan Yoga (Goddess Edition) session followed by a fibroids awareness presentation delivered by The Lake Foundation’s founder, Abi Begho. For more information and to book a place please click here
Find Out More About Noire Wellness
You can find out more about Noire Wellness by following them on Twitter, liking their page on Facebook or signing up to their newsletter here
The Lake Foundation is delighted to invite you to attend its event ‘Fibroid Focus’ where we will be focusing on the treatment of fibroids. At this event, you will hear from experts in the field discussing all treatment options including natural ways of managing the symptoms of fibroids.
Speaking at this event will be Mr Rajiv Varma, a consultant gynaecologist, who will provide an overview of the treatment options available on the NHS, their pros and cons and what steps to take to ensure you’re getting the best treatment possible. You will also hear from Leah Salmon, The Naturally You Coach, who will outline the impact of diet on fibroids and how a healthy diet can reduce your risk and help in the treatment and prevention of fibroids. Lillian Lartey will discuss the power of exercise in preventing and managing the symptoms of fibroids, Olivia Haltman will look at a sometimes forgotten area for fibroids patients, how to manage the psychological impact and Patricia Ferguson will discuss the use of herbal remedies in treating the symptoms of fibroids.
Additionally, we’ll have some great organisations exhibiting on the day so you can find out more about women’s health in general.
Join us on 30th July 2016 for an informative, empowering session. Book early to avoid disappointment, spaces are limited.
Doors open at 12pm and you can visit the information tables; the presentations start at 1pm.
For more information and to book your place, please click here
A new study published this week suggests that women with high levels of both oestrogen and testosterone at midlife are at a higher risk of developing fibroids than women with low levels of hormones. This finding is important because this is the first time that testosterone has been linked to fibroids.
In this study 1412 women aged 45 -52 were monitored over 13 years with each woman having an annual check-up where their hormone levels were measured. It was found that women with high levels of testosterone in their blood were 1.33 times more likely to develop fibroids than women with low levels of testosterone, and women with high levels of both oestrogen and testosterone had an even greater risk , they were 1.5 times more likely to develop fibroids.
Dr Jennifer Lee, one of the researchers explained the importance of these findings by stating that:
“The research opens up new lines of inquiry regarding how fibroids develop and how they are treated. Given that managing uterine fibroids costs an estimated $34.4 billion in annual medical expenditures nationwide, it is important to identify new ways to better treat this common condition.”
